MARIETTA, Ga.- On a cool and slightly overcast Tuesday morning, Atlanta United players made their way through individual drills and team workouts along the grass fields at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. Arguably Atlanta’s best supported professional sports franchise, United was once again at the top of the attendance charts at the end of 2023, averaging a league high 47,526 fans per each of its 17 home games, according to sports data website Soccer Stadium Digest. One of the players cutting and juking back and forth on the field that morning was thrust into a graduate school level of learning just how crazy the support and fandom can be for the Five Stripes when he arrived last summer.
French defensive midfielder Tristan Muyumba, 26, is just days away from playing in his first Major League Soccer season opener. Muyumba made his official United debut during a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul last July 29 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Coming to Atlanta from Ligue 2 club EA Guingamp, a respectable club in its own right, Muyumba was thrust into a fight for postseason position throughout his ten-game start to life in Atlanta. Having started nine of the final 10 games of the 2023 season for United manager Gonzalo Pineda, Muyumba quickly admits that his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) was partly based on the league’s growing reputation and style of play. “The quality of players in MLS, especially the forwards, is a little better,” said Muyumba, who added that Ligue 2 could be a bit more physical.
Starting this season with Atlanta United, the 2024 campaign feels more like his rookie year in a way. He is getting to train with his teammates, some for the first time. A full start to the season has also afforded Muyumba the opportunity to play preseason matches with the club, the most recent being against fellow MLS side Sporting KC in Miami on Feb. 17. Learning a new city, new team, coaching staff, and new league can be difficult. Doing all that in the middle of the season even more so, he explained.
“[Last year] I did the preseason with my teammates, so we worked together, and I spent more time with them. So I was more comfortable than when you arrive during the season,” Muyumba said. “It’s different, but it’s a good difference.”
During the nine starts and 10 overall matches, Muyumba played 815 minutes, earning the trust of Pineda during crucial matches that United needed to win in order to remain in postseason contention. He scored his first career MLS goal in what would be a 5-2 victory over visiting Inter Miami on Sept. 16. The header came off of a pass from veteran United defender Brooks Lennon. The goal tied the match at one and the United supporters went wild. Having played professionally in Belgium at the age of 20, and in France since he was 23, Muyumba understands the passion tied to soccer fans around the world, but United-level support excites him a bit.
Muyumba’s current three-year contract expires Dec. 31, 2026. He says he loves playing “In the Benz” and is getting familiar with his on and off-pitch surroundings. “Everyone in the coaching staff, in the locker room, every single person is very good, and for me it is a pleasure to be here.”
Muyumba began playing soccer as a young boy chasing after his older brothers. He would hone his skills on the streets of Paris while growing up and appreciates the hustle and bustle of a city like Atlanta. After all, having been born in the City of Light, and now being a professional athlete, Muyumba could afford to live anywhere in the city, but has chosen to live in Midtown among his new home’s midday traffic and bustling night light.
He said he enjoys the sights, sounds, and food.
“I feel comfortable here now, I’m very happy and excited to be here,” Muyumba said. “When I arrived I didn’t really know the league, so I learned about my teammates and the league, and I’m going to keep learning.”
Atlanta United opens the regular season at Columbus Crew, Saturday, Feb. 24 in a rematch of last year’s first round playoff matchup. The Five Stripes will make its home debut when it hosts the New England Revolution Saturday, March 9. Muyumba said one of the things he enjoyed about playing in MLS was how much every match mattered all season long despite there not being a relegation factor in American sports.
“We have the team to win a championship this year,” Muyumba said. “We have a lot of competitors on this team, and I think more of them being here is bringing experience to the team.”
A second United championship parade through downtown and Midtown could remind him of how they celebrate victories back home on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Muyumba thought for a moment and tugged at the shirt sleeves of his gray and white practice gear. “We have the quality and mentality to win in this league,” he said.